Theory
by GuardianShapeShifter
Summary: The children of the cul-de-sac are trapped by an unseen force set in place by Grim, the very first Grim Reaper. Can Piff, a goth boy with a rare gift, and his new reaper friend help them escape? Can they escape Grim's wrath for trying? (Based off of the Ed, Edd, N' Eddy theory)
1. Chapter 1: Death Came Early

Hello all. It has been a looooong time since I have put anything here. I have been rather preoccupied with other things in the last good while. Cutting to the chase, I am sorry to announce that this will be my final story. So, please enjoy my grand finale!

This story is based off of the Ed, Edd, N' Eddy Theory. Please do not be upset that the fandom has not yet been mentioned, as it is the biggest part of this story and will consume the rest of it shortly. Patience, dears.

* * *

The streets were dark. Night had fallen over the city. Street lamps lit the lonely walkways devoid of life and movement in the still October air. It was silent in the city, the darkness absorbing any and all sound in its black coils. The emptiness was eerily akin to post apocalyptic circumstances. There was no life anywhere in the snaking thoroughfares of Endsville.

All of this made it rather easy to glide through the vacant roads. Her dark hair whipped around her as she flew, feet not even so much as grazing the concrete, down the walkway, snaking passed light poles and city mail boxes. Her glowing red eyes were overshadowed by a deep blackness cast from her brows as she kept her head down. She was on a very important mission that would bring great change to innocent people and great consequence upon herself. A flash of silver lit up the darkness for a split moment as she flew passed a street light, the gleam having been temporarily caught in the shinning silver of her scythe.

It wasn't uncommon in her line of work that people got hurt. It wasn't unusual to walk away from something with lingering damage or to not walk away at all. Her kind had walked the razor's edge of life and death and danced along the blade. One by one, with grace and dignity, they met their ends in the name of all things good. In their sacrifice, they remained a protector of those on the other side and fought injustice wherever it happened to rise.

But tonight was different. Tonight wasn't about the living at all. It wasn't about anything to do with the mortal coil, in fact. Tonight she was on a hunt for the first Grim Reaper, the one who had come before her or any of the others like her. Since the advent of her kind, the original Grim Reaper had all but been put out of business. His methods were unethical, his work was at times cruel, and his conscience of these things was chillingly barren of guilt. Tonight was about setting things right in the Land of the Dead and the new Reaper had a bone to pick with ol' Grim.

The current problem at hand was finding the old Reaper. Finding mortals was simple, they all had their own bright aura's and would leave energy trails wherever they went. The dead, however, we harder to trace. With the dead, there was no aura, no energy trails, there was nothing at all. They no longer belonged in The Land of the Living, therefore their energies were altered into what humans called ghosts, which is why they require energy from their surroundings to come forward.

She figured her best bet would be to seek out the humans that hung close to him first, then let them lead her to him. As the sun began to rise, she changed course sharply for the high school where said humans attended class. Even if she missed them, she could follow their auras and tail them all day.

The street she took lead her to the front of the large school building where busses were pulling in, dropping off clusters of unhappy teens onto the sidewalk. She took up a spot under a nearby tree on the grounds and watched carefully as more and more students gathered on the grass. The area was alight with bright auras. Energy trails weaved, meshed, and tangled all over the place as the teens moved about and mingled before the day began. After two hours of waiting, the last bus pulled up and dropped off the final load of teens. He eyes were fixed on the doors as they opened and color after color spilled out. Then, her red irises shrank around her pupil as a hot pink aura and a bright blue aura broke forth from the darkness of the bus. She had them.

She was about to take off after them when she felt a chill shoot up her spin. She froze and slowly turned to face whatever had given her the sensation.

She locked onto a young man, no older than eighteen, starring right at her through dark shades. He was dressed in all black, long purple hair pulled back into a neat ponytail, and a silver medallion dangling around his neck. His deep purple aura was steady around him as he had not been moving about as the others had and his gaze was fixed on her.

There was no way he could see her, she was dead, therefore invisible to the eyes of the mortal world. He had to be looking at something behind her. However, the intensity of his glim was unmistakable. She took note of his aura, making it a point to investigate the matter later. The only thing that mattered right then was finding Grim. As of now, the showdown had already begun.

* * *

She had forgotten how utterly boring and honestly useless much of the schooling kids got really was. There was so very little they had learned that they would actually use in the outside world. So very little would do them any good at all. But here they were, crammed into tiny classrooms, being forced to submit to unconstitutional rules, being fed substandard food in both the taste and cleanliness departments. Day after miserable day was spent here, being subject to tons of useless drabbling simply so someone would have a job in a federal branch of the government. The world of the mortals was a disappointing one at times, being full of falsehoods, nonsense, and of course plenty of kissing off. When death arrives, oddly enough, none of that matters anymore. Strange how that works.

As the teens filtered into their next class, she retreated to the back of the classroom where she could keep a close eye on the two young adults from earlier. As she watched the small room fill to its popping point, she recognized the purple haired boy from the grounds sitting three desks up from where she stood. He wasn't looking at her now, but she knew better than that.

The teacher began the lesson of math that literally almost no one with an average job would ever use in any situation. This bored and irritated the young reaper into picking up a spare text book off of the teachers desk and flipping through it silently. No one seemed to notice, and that just wouldn't do. She lifted the book up high and let it go, allowing it to slam hard onto the desk, jarring the sleepy students awake and scaring the teacher almost to death.

Everyone turned around and looked, but none of the eyes were on her, but rather around her or looking through her. They couldn't see her. None of them could. Except the purple haired boy.

His brows were raised and his jaw was set sternly as if he was upset at her, perhaps for startling him.

She looked at him once more and glided across the room, his head following her. Now she was positive he could see her. With a sudden movement, she flew across the room and stopped an inch from his sculpted nose.

"You can see me." She whispered.

He was still as a statue, but managed to give a subtle nod of recognition.

The young reaper just looked him over for a moment before looking down at some papers on his desk, one of which was a study guide with his name on it.

"Well, that means you and I have something to discuss, then, Piff." She smiled at him, though her eyes portrayed slight frustration.

He remained silent and still, just watching her as she floated in front of him. She stood up and dusted off her black and silver Band-esque uniform and backed up slowly into a corner of the room, allowing everyone to settle down. Once everyone calmed themselves, the teacher resumed her lesson and the teens either followed along begrudgingly or they slept. Except for Piff, who couldn't stop glancing at the corner where the reaper resided.

As soon as the bell rang, the teens fled the room as if it were on fire. The halls quickly cleared of bodies and sounds, leaving behind nothing but several energy trails, all snaking and winding in various directions, but all headed to the same place; the cafeteria. The reaper followed the trails of the two she had locked onto earlier, deciding that she would more than likely run into Piff again.

The sound of many voices became louder as she neared the canteen where every student in the building was at the moment. She zipped through an open door, causing a phantom wind that disrupted two girls in the doorway. She ignored their startled and confused faces as they looked for where the draft could have come from and made her way to the court yard where the two trails lead.

Once she was out in the open air again, she began looking around for the two humans. With ease, she spotted them eating at a pic-nic table with two other males. One put off a lime green aura and the other a yellow aura. She crossed her arms and watched them intently. They were a rag tag group. The outcasts of other outcasts. Two humans who hung around with Death and two hybrids. That was taboo in the Mortal Coil, mixing races, even in the year that it was. Their world was slow to change and stubborn to boot unless it would benefit them in some way immediately. It was baffling how much they cared about the color of skin or the genetic make up of an individual outside of themselves when they knew that the body was only temporary to start with or that your true form looked nothing like a physical thing.

"I know you're following them."

The reaper turned to see Piff standing there, a book held up over his mouth, hiding it. Her red eyes stared unblinking into his shades where there was no reflection. She lowered herself closer to the ground so she would be on eye level with him.

"Indeed." She nodded. "What concern is that of yours?"

"They're my friends." He answered, still hiding his mouth, his voice quiet and deep.

"Well, why aren't you with them now?" She asked.

"I always eat alone." Piff answered from behind the book. "Why are you following them?"

"Why can you see me?" She countered, becoming slightly irritated.

"I've always been able to see..." He faltered for a moment. "... people who passed over."

She starred at him for a long time, trying to figure out this new issue before her. Deep down she knew he was going to become quite a hindrance to her mission, so she had to speak wisely.

"You're a medium." She nodded. "You have a rare gift, there, Piff."

He nodded and a moment of silence settled between them before he spoke again.

"So what are you here for?" He asked.

"Why wouldn't I be just a regular ol' run of the mill ghost?" She smiled.

"That." He nodded towards the scythe in her right hand.

She looked down at the carefully sculpted weapon and then back at him.

"I take it that you have seen one of these before?" She asked.

He only nodded and remained silent.

"Where?" She asked.

He only starred at her, silence falling once more. He knew what she was after now, but he wasn't sure of her intentions or the consequences it could bring.

The reaper took a deep unnecessary breath and spoke slowly.

"I need to speak with the Grim Reaper. It is very important. Several souls are on the line."

Piff's brows furrowed and he seemed to mull the words over for a long time.

"Mandy and Billy are friends with Grim." He answered slowly. "He stays with Mandy mostly. Billy's mother is afraid of him."

"Wise woman." She nodded. The bell rang loudly into the courtyard and the reaper began to float off in Billy and Mandy's direction when she was stopped by Piff.

"Wait." He called.

The reaper turned, irritated but calm, and looked at him as he took his time again with his words.

"What's your name?" He asked.

The reaper studied him for a moment, unsure, before answering.

"Jane." She stated flatly. "Name's Jane."

"Well," Piff began, lowering the book from his mouth once everyone was gone from the courtyard. "Be careful, Jane. Grim's pretty nasty at times."

Jane closed her red eyes and reopened them slowly, the red irises boring into Piff's shades.

"You have _no _clue." Jane sighed. She floated away from him and followed the bright pink and blue trail once more.

Piff remained in the courtyard thinking over the conversation that just took place. He wasn't sure if he had done the right thing. However, he knew of some of Grim's doings and wasn't surprised that the specter that had visited the school seemed to be wary of and angry with him. Still, his interest had been peeked. He was now involved in something that would more than likely have dire consequences.

* * *

Well, there's chapter one. I want to have this up completely by this very Halloween, as it is my favorite holiday, so I've got my fingers crossed.

As I mentioned before, the first two or three chapters are for character development and to introduce Piff into the story and how his character will tie into things as it goes along. I've always felt like Piff never got any love, so here's some love for the previously silent Goth boy who's grown up a good bit since the show.

Jane is on the same level as Piff when it comes to importance and the two's interactions throughout the story will ultimately decide the fate of the cul-de-sac.

Will these two get along enough to succeed in the task of undoing Grim's cruelty? Keep reading to find out.


	2. Chapter 2: A Modest Conversation

I am trying to get these posted as quickly as I can. Here comes chapter 2.

As I mentioned before, please do not be upset that the Ed, Edd, N' Eddy fandom has not been mentioned yet, as it is the biggest part of this story. I have to squeeze in some poorly constructed character development first, hahaha.

* * *

The grounds filled with teens once more and the streets were packed buses and cars from end to end. The sound was overwhelming and the light show that was being put on by the energy trails of hundreds of individuals was blinding. Even in the chaos, the experienced reaper found her two trails and followed them to a bus where Billy and Mandy had boarded and were awaiting their trip home.

Once the yellow behemeth took off, she glided behind it, following it to every bus stop until she found the homes of both teenagers. Once they exited the vehicle, they went their separate ways and entered their homes. The reaper hung back a little, examining the surroundings of each house. One was up kept quite well while the other had a broken fence around it and a dead tree in the yard. The contrast was astounding but she had little time to think much on it when she was interrupted once more.

"I see you found them."

She rolled her eyes and floated back down to the sidewalk where she stood, looking up at the taller purple haired young man.

"You again?" She asked. "You know, it's pretty cool and amazing that you can see ghosts n' all, but I have work to do and you are _really _becoming a pain in my ass, dude."

"Not just ghosts." Piff spoke lowly. "I see auras too."

Jane crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow, looking into the shades once more.

"So those aren't just a fashion statement, afterall, huh?"

"Not at all." He sighed. "It can get really bright in a place where there are a lot of people."

"You're tellin' me." The reaper raised both brows. "So, what's the hang up, here? Why are you tracking me?"

"I just want to make sure you don't get us all oblitherated." Piff smirked.

"Please." Jane rolled her eyes. "What could you possibly do to prevent that?"

"I have connections." He crossed his arms as well.

"You really think your friends in there can stop the first Grim Reaper?" Jane scoffed.

"You don't know the whole story." Piff glanced over at Mandy's house. "Mandy owns Grim. He lost a bet and now he's a slave to her every command."

"You're kidding me." Jane's arms dropped to her side. "What kind of reaper was he?"

"That's not my call to make, but it's true." Piff spoke carefully. "Still, he's powerful in ways few of us can imagine. I didn't like him the second I saw him."

"I get it, you're the bad boy type." Jane placed her hands on her hips and smirked. "Livin' life on the edge, the rebel, the outcast."

"I'm a goth who sees dead people." Piff shrugged. "My life is pretty much a solo trip. But that has nothing to do with my dislike for Grim. He emits a very powerful and ugly energy. I felt it right away."

"Well, at least you're just a nameless face to him." Jane looked over at the house. "You're not on his bad side like I'm about to be."

"I spit in his face." Piff spoke carefully.

Jane slowly turned her head to face him, her face was one of shock and disbelief in the teen's stupidity. After a long, awkward, uneasy moment, the reaper turned to go towards the house.

"Don't judge me." Piff whispered as he followed her.

"I'm juding you so hard, right now." Jane returned. "_So _hard."

Piff stepped onto the porch and knocked on the spotless door. After a moment, in which he looked over to see Jane still giving him a disapproving look, the door opened, revealing a shorter, thin, blond girl in a pink and black dress.

"What do you want, Piff? Make it quick, there's a sandwich in the kitchen with my name on it." She spoke flatly, her thick, but sculpted, eyebrows sitting atop her angry eyes.

"Is Grim around?" Piff asked softly, looking around for the skeleton.

"He's in the kitchen where he belongs." Mandy snarled. "What do you want with him?"

"Not me, Jane." He nodded to what appeared to be an empty space to his left.

Mandy took a look just outside of the door and saw literally nothing there. She then looked at Piff and cocked an eyebrow, though the teen seemed to be totally unaware that Jane was invisible to Mandy.

"Piff, I don't know what kind of drugs you're on, but they're making you see things." Mandy crossed her arms. "Have you ever _seen _Requiem for a Dream?"

Piff looked over at Jane, who was just flabberghasted by his obliviousness and realized that he was the only one who could see her. He shook his head quickly and looked back at Mandy.

"No, my bad..." He shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not on drugs, I, er... Jane's... she's like Grim. She's... not... she has passed over."

Mandy watched as he tried to explain and fell almost completely apart in his attempt. It was fairly obvious to her that he was still nervous in her presence, which amused her greatly.

"Uh huh." Mandy seemed uninterested. "Prove it."

Piff looked over at Jane who just rolled her eyes and purposely brushed passed him so he'd feel the chill. Jane floated right in front of Mandy's face and took a deep breath before blowing in her eyes.

Mandy backed up and little, removing her face from the line of fire before getting the message and looking back at Piff.

"Come in, but make it quick. I'm hungry." She allowed Piff inside and shut the door behind him.

Piff placed his hands inside of his pockets and looked around the room as Mandy plopped down on the couch.

"Thanks for the help, even if it was sad to watch." Jane hissed as she went by Piff.

"You talk too much for a dead person." Piff retorted as Jane left the room. He looked over to see Mandy starring at him and quickly averted his gaze elsewhere.

In the kitchen, Jane found Grim standing at the stove, cooking what looked like dinner. She decided she wouldn't disturb him and leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, and her head down. He'd see her eventually.

"Where de heck is de crock pot?" He looked to his left, glaring at the empty spot on the counter where the cooking device probably was once. He then turned and yelped upon seeing Jane. "Who de heck are you?!"

"I'm the creep who took your job." She glared over at him.

Grim regained his composure quickly upon realizing who he was speaking with.

"You're one of dos new reapers." He snarled. "Bunch a' kids in Black Parade costumes prancin' about like dey know de ropes like ol' Grim!"

"I didn't come here to talk experience and war stories with you." Jane stood up straight. She was about to speak when her eyes were caught by the bright pink apron he was wearing. She starred at it, her face becoming confused.

Grim just looked at her for a long minute before realizing he was still wearing the feminine cloth. He tore it from his torso quickly and threw it across the room before looking at Jane again.

"As I was saying," She began again. "I am here to discuss the cul-de-sac."

"Not dis crap again." If Grim had actually had eyes, he would've rolled them. "You newbies need to move on from dat ol' place, it don't mean a ting to nobody."

"It means something to me." Jane stated sternly.

"Why is dat, girly?" Grim crossed his arms. "What business of it is yours?"

"I'm a reaper. Souls are my business." Jane parted her feet slightly, taking an aggressive stance. "You have to let them go, Grim."

"I don't have to do a ting, newbie." Grim chuckled. "Dat hole in de ground is de last place I can draw energy dat is all my own. Day in and day out of taking orders from two mere children drains my bones! Where else can I get de fuel I need to get through a day with those two?!"

"I am sad to inform you that _your _problems are not _our _problems." Jane stated flatly.

"_Our_?" Grim shook his head with a smirk. "Der are I don't know how many of you, now. Why did dey send only you here? Do you really tink dey care dat much if dey only sent you here?"

"They know I can get the job done on my own, Grim." Jane smirked at him. "Because unlike you, people believe in my abilities."

"Please." Grim chuckled loudly. "De truth is dat dey sent you here alone knowing you would fail. Dey just want it to look like dey are actually doing someting. You will never be as good as I am."

"_Was_." Jane cracked a wicked smile. "You are mistaken, Grim. This will get done with or without your compliance."

"I'd like to see de day." Grim crossed his boney arms as Jane began to float towards the door.

"You will." She paused just before him and spoke. "You're oven's smoking by the way, there, chef."

Grim's eyes widened suddenly and he spun about to see black smoke escaping from the edges of the oven.

"ME CORNBREAD!" He cried as Jane left the room.

Piff looked up upon seeing her return and he was about to ask something but was stopped.

"Not here." Jane warned as she went through the door.

Piff looked over at Mandy, who was now watching television.

"Thanks for everything, Mandy." Piff nodded.

She waved him away and he quickly left the house and ran down the sidewalk to catch up with the reaper.

"What happend?" He asked once he caught up to her side.

"Just what I thought." Jane spoke lowly.

"We are gonna have to do this the hard way." Piff nodded.

Jane stopped and looked at him, her brows knitted together in confusion.

"I'm sorry, _we_?" She asked.

"I want to help." He nodded.

"You just totally invited yourself to a suicide mission." Jane was baffled.

"I've experienced worse, believe me." Piff sighed.

"I doubt that." Jane was still stunned. "I _seriously _doubt that."

"Living in Endsville is..." Piff thought for a second. "Well, it's a nightmare. There's always something horrible going on. People get maimed constantly, the city is in debt by millions because there's always damage happening, the school is plagued with violence and bullies, and the Grim Reaper lives here to top it all off. This place is a war zone!"

"I can believe that, but..." Jane lowered herself onto the sidewalk and looked up at Piff. "Piff, you seem like a pretty cool guy, despite your annoying clingy-ness and inability to not come off as a total spazz in front of a girl you like."

"What?" He asked suddenly.

"Nothing." Jane answered quickly. "But, your world and my world are seperate from each other for a reason. When we start blending the two, bad things happen. Trust me, this isn't something you want to get into."

"Your wold and my world have already blended." Piff explained. "Why do you think I even exist? I can see dead people, I can see auras. I exist partially in your world, Jane. Nothing is a mistake, you came here for a reason and was put here so I could find out more about my ability and maybe even learn to help people."

"You can't help people if you're dead, Piff." Jane crossed her arms.

"You are." Piff pointed out.

Jane just blinked at him, her face flat and unimpressed. She looked away to her left then sighed.

"Are you sure you want to help?" Jane asked. "If you back out, I'll make you wish you were never born."

"I want to help." Piff nodded.

"Alright." Jane gave him a look. "You're crazy, but alright."

"We can talk about your plan at my place." Piff took the lead. "Follow me."

* * *

From here on, you no longer have to worry, because the story basically begins now.


	3. Chapter 3: Between Two Worlds

Chapter 3 throws us headlong into the first steps of the adventure.

As was promised, the Ed, Edd, N' Eddy fandom starts in the next chapter. Get used to that, because that's all you'll see until the end of the story.

* * *

The house was on the nicer side. The yard was kept and clean, the deep blue paint on the residence looked to be fresh, and not a single dark shingle was out of place.

Piff opened the gate and allowed Jane through, shutting it behind himself as he stepped in. He walked with her down the sidewalk, which didn't have a single crack in it, and lead her up the steps and onto the porch.

"My parents wont be home for another three hours." He said as he pulled a key out of his pocket and opened the door. "The work in an art museum and stay late often giving tours and all that."

"An art museum, huh?" Jane nodded. "Sounds interesting."

"I guess." Piff shrugged. "I've never been to it."

"What?" Jane asked, her eyes widening. "Really?"

"Really." He said as he stepped inside, letting Jane in before shutting the door and locking it.

The interior of the house was dark and clean. The walls were a cool blue and th carpet was black, dark wood furniture dotting the living room in the form of a bookshelf, television stand, and coffee table. Black pleather chairs and a couch were placed strategically in the room so that the television would be visible to anyone sitting anywhere.

Piff leaned over the couch and opened the black curtains to peek out before looking back at Jane.

"Make yourself at home." He nodded.

"Thanks." Jane floated over to the couch and sat down. "So... you gonna wear those shades in here, too?"

"Force of habit." He chuckled, removing the sun glasses and placing them on the coffee table as he sat fully on the couch.

Jane looked over at him and was surprised to see that the purple haired boy had green eyes. She made a face of approval and he cocked an eyebrow.

"What was that look?" He asked.

"I was admiring your eye color." Jane answered. "Rare to see green eyes now-a-days."

"I know." Piff nodded. "I'm an endangered species."

"Perhaps." Jane glanced over at the window.

"So, what's going on, anyway?" Piff asked. "And what are we going to do about it?"

"It's a really long story, but I think I can sum it up." Jane shifted to face him. She gathered her thoughts for a moment before speaking. "A long time ago, there was only one reaper. He had the power to do many things. He could be in multiple places at once, he could cast spells, and he could create something that is now referred to as a _dome of confusion_."

"What is that?" Piff asked, his dark brows knitting together.

"It's something that malicious spirits use commonly to keep human spirits contained in one area." Jane answered. "They feed off of their energy."

"But dead people don't have an aura." Piff was confused. "They don't have an energy."

"Not totally true." Jane corrected. "We may not put off an aura, but we do have energy, it just comes in a different form. I am a reaper, so I am self sustaining, but ghosts, however, have to draw on their surroundings."

"But what if there are no other people around?" Piff asked.

"While people provide a great amount of energy, they are not the only source. Electronics work really well, but so do things in nature. Water, especially, because it is always moving. It's basically a bunch of kenetic energy." Jane explained.

"Okay, so what if there's no water?" Piff asked.

"The earth itself has an energy that can be drawn on. It's not incredibly powerful, but it gets the job done." Jane informed.

"So how does this come back to Grim?" Piff questioned. "He's an ex-reaper, so he's self sustaining, too, right?"

"Yes." Jane nodded. "You see, Grim was pretty powerful, and still is, though he is now on a rather short leash. He got to where he had begun to abuse his power. A reaper is not a killer or a plague, a reaper is a harvester of souls. One does not harvest unripened fruit. We are only to help souls cross over, as there is a lot of confusion upon one's death. I am not the only one of my kind, there are others that look like me and we replaced Grim. He is still upset, of course, but now it is our job to undo a lot of what he has done and to un-tarnish the name of the reaper. We are not all scythe weilding, power hungry, maniacs."

"Well, that's good to know." Piff cracked a small smile. "So what did he do that you have to fix?"

"Grim set up a _dome of confusion _a long time ago in an area known to mortals as Peach Creek." Jane explained. "There are several souls trapped there that he is feeding off of. He gives them time to gather up energy from the surrounding area and then he drains them almost completely so he can sustain enough energy for himself to have at the end of the day since those two humans are constantly using him for things."

"What would happen if he ran out of energy?" Piff asked.

"He wouldn't be able to do any magic, any kind of teleportation, or any kind of super natural things." Jane answered. "He'd be defenseless, essentialy."

"Interesting..." Piff thought for a moment. "I have heard of Peach Creek before. There are houses there that are constantly on the market for unreasonably low prices. None of us ever knew why, but the way you put it, the place is infested with ghosts."

"It is." Jane nodded.

"Case closed." Piff raised his eyebrows. "So, I take it that you are going to try to free the spirits?"

"Yes." Jane crossed her arms. "It's going to be very, very dangerous. We will more than likely incite Grim's wrath and have to deal with him at some point. Piff..."

Piff looked up at the sound of his name in her serious tone.

"Grim is not like me or my kind." She spoke carefully. "He will not have mercy on you. Those that get in his way usually end up, well... dead."

Piff's heart sped up suddenly. He cast his green eyes down to his hands that were now gripping the seams of his pants. The idea of dieing was still frightening to him even though he knew there was an afterlife. He didn't want to leave behind what he had or his loved ones, but at the same time he wanted to use his gift to help others. He was conflicted, but decided to side with his heart, not his head.

"I still want to help." Piff spoke with determination. "I have this gift for a reason. This is what I am supposed to do with my life. I am a link between two planes. This is my calling."

Jane couldn't help but smirk at the teen's fire and she cocked her head to the side. Perhaps he wasn't such a burden afterall.

"Very well." Jane nodded slowly. "You should eat, then we will head out."

"Alright." Piff nodded and got up off of the couch, stretching. "I'll make it a quick meal. You want anything?"

Jane just looked at him, her eye brow raised. Piff stood, waiting on her answer, when he inwardly face-palmed.

"Oh..." He said with wide eyes. "Right..."

Jane chuckled as he quickly retreated into the kitchen. She wondered what, exactly, she had gotten herself into with all of this.

* * *

Continue for awesome.


	4. Chapter 4: Not Welcomed Here

Chapter 4 is here along with the Ed, Edd, N' Eddy fandom. I hope you enjoy, as a 90's kid, myself, this whole thing really peeked my interest. I hope it does the same for you.

* * *

Piff walked at Jane's side, wrapped up in a coat and a back pack on his back. Jane floated along the side walk as they neared a bus stop.

"From what I saw on Ooogle Maps, we're going to have to take a bus to get with in walking distance of the place." Piff pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the directions he had saved.

"Very well." Jane nodded. "As long as we get there."

"It'll take us a good two hours." Piff looked up at her. "Endsville's pretty close to Peach Creek, I mean, their football team comes here for a match every season, but it's not the closest city."

"Understood." Jane stated as they came to a stop at the station.

"The bus will be here any minute." Piff informed her. He sat down on a bench and put his hands in his coat pockets, breathing out a puff of steam in the cold air.

Jane watch the smokey breath dissapate into the air, amused by the phenomenon.

"Can you do that?" Piff asked, seeing her watching.

"Not anymore." Jane sighed, coming to sit at his side in the diming evning light. "I'm not warm enough in this state."

"State?" Piff asked.

"Reapers can appear in three states; etheral, metaphysical, and physical." Jane explained. "Etheral is like an orb or will-o-wisp, metaphusical is what I am right now, and physical makes me visible to everyone."

"Wow." Piff took in the information. "Why so many states?"

"It's so we can sneak about, really. A reaper might take on the etheral state so they can only appear to the one they wish to speak to, for example. I chose metapysical because I was hoping no one would see me."

Piff smirked at her and adjusted his shades.

"I guess that didn't work." He chuckled.

"I guess not." Jane laughed lightly.

A long moment of silence settled between them as the sun continued to sink below the street. Piff shifted a little and looked over at Jane.

"So, I was curious about something..." He looked down at his pockets.

"What's that?" Jane asked, looking at him.

"You were alive once, right?" He asked cautiously.

"Yes." Jane answered.

"What did your aura look like?" He asked, looking up at her.

"Well, I only saw it once, only for a split second, but it was a mix of blue and gold." She answered. "Most of my kind had a double layered aura, all very similar to each other."

"So, it's possible for people to have multiple layered auras?" Piff asked.

"Oh yea." Jane nodded. "It's just as comon as having a single layered one."

"I didn't know that." Piff thought for a moment. "I guess you really do learn something everyday."

"I guess so." Jane chuckled.

The bus rolled up not two minutes later and Piff gathered his things and made his way up the steps where he paid the toll and walked to the back of the bus so he could speak in privacy with Jane.

The bus was mostly empty, say for two other people who looked like they were too busy sleeping to pay any attetnion to their surroundings.

Piff chose a seat close to the back and sat down, scooting over to the window to make room for his invisible friend. Jane sat down, humoring him, more than anything and slouched into the seat.

"So, have you ever been around these parts before or is this your first time?" Piff asked quietly.

"I have been to Endsville a few times for various reasons, as have the others, but I have only ever seen Peach Creek through a looking glass." Jane answered.

"What is a looking glass?" Piff asked.

"It's like a mirror, but it lets us see other places on other worlds, albeit only a small portion." Jane explained.

"Oh." Piff nodded. "That sounds handy."

"It is." Jane glanced over at him.

"Hey, Jane?" He asked.

"Yes?" Jane looked at him fully.

"When we get there, to the actual place, will we be able to see the dome of confusion?" He inquired.

"Good question." Jane sighed. "I've never seen one, so I have no clue."

"Yikes..." Piff's brows raised. "Could it hurt us, too?"

"Typically reapers aren't affected by what ghosts are, and humans don't usually have so much as a clue as to the supernatural activity surrounding them." Jane answered. "So, no."

"That's good news." Piff sighed in relief. He looked over and out of his window into the blackness. Night had fallen and the stars were out. The lights of the city passed by like burry shooting stars and before long, the darkness swallowed them.

The bus was in between cities and the population had declined significantly. Street lights lined the rod as the large vehicle stopped at a station and opened its doors. Piff looked over at Jane, who got up and began floating towards the front of the bus. He quickly gathered his things and joined her before gettong off and watching the bus vanish down the road. He dug his phone out of his pocket and began looking at the directions.

"It's close by, about a ten minute walk." Piff told his spectral friend.

"Good." Jane nodded. "Let's go."

"Alright." Piff began walking, Jane floating at his side.

The night air was chilly, everytime Piff would exhale, a cloud of smoke would appear and then dissapate. He tugged at the neck of his coat, bringing it up to his chin, the cold being uncomfortable against his neck. He looked over at Jane who was totally unaffected by the temperature and envied her for only a moment.

The road around them was sheltered by trees and was dark, the only light being offered by dim street lights. The sounds of night creatures echoed into the blackness ahead of them as they neared their destination. Any normal person would have never done this, ever. Piff, however, had accepted that he was so far outside of the normal definition that nothing could make him fit in. Normal to others was going to the movies, getting food, having sleep overs, but normal to him was talking to dead people, following a reaper around, and going into obviously haunted areas that no one had any business around.

An owl in a tree nearby cried out and startled him slightly, but he continued to walk. In the distance, coyotes howled and yelped in packs and frogs screached along the roadside. This concert of noise was constant and unchanging for quite sometime when suddenly, something echoed out that didn't belong.

Both of the travelers stopped in their tracks and looked at one another.

"Did you hear that?" Piff asked.

"Yea." Jane nodded. "We're close. Really close."

Jane floated ahead, Piff following her as they continued down the road. As they went, more sounds met them, the faint becoming increasingly louder.

"What is that?" Piff asked.

"Voices, listen." Jane glanced back at him.

He went silent and really focused. Suddenly, he could hear it. It was, indeed, voices. There were yelps and screams and laughter all mixed together. Piff looked over at Jane, confused.

"Kids?" He asked. "Out this late? I thought no one lived in the area anymore."

"They don't." Jane answered and floated ahead once more.

Piff was confused, but he followed her none the less. A light pierced the a hole in the darkness, shinning in from not too far away. Houses came into view in a small neighborhood and the sounds were growing louder and louder.

"That's the place." Piff pointed straight ahead.

Jane and Piff, both, picked up their paces slightly and neared the cul-de-sac. They crossed the street over to it and could now see what all of the ruckus was.

They stood in the middle of the road and watched as kids, no older than thirteen, ran about, playing a tag game of some sort.

Piff's mouth dropped open slightly, suddenly realizing the kids before him had no aura.

"They're just children." Piff whispered.

"I know." Jane replied softly. "They've been trapped here for a long time."

"Grim's feeding off of these kids?" He looked up at her as she floated down to the earth.

"I'm afraid so." Jane answered.

"That sick bastard." Piff hissed.

"You can't catch me! I'm the fastest in the cul-de-sac!" A red haired boy wearing a red hat suddenly crashed into Jane and fell backwards onto the ground. He shook his head and looked up at the new faces. "What... who are you guys?"

The cul-de-sac grew quiet as the kids noticed the presence of the two travelers.

Jane reached her hand out to help the boy up, but he got up on his own instead and backed away from them.

"I am Jane and this is my friend Piff." Jane introduced them. "I am one of the new reapers and my friend, here, can see ghosts."

"You're a reaper?" A blond girl asked, hidding behind the red haired boy. "What do you want with us?"

"Yea?!" A short boy with a loud voice called, obviously irritated.

"We only want to set you free." Jane answered, glancing over at an increasingly nervous Piff.

"Set us free?" A small pale boy with head gear asked, holding the hand of a shorter red haired girl.

"Just what are you tryin' to pull?" The girl spoke up, her voice harsh.

"No tricks." Jane put her left hand up in defense as her right was wrapped about her scythe. "I have seen what Grim has done to you. I want to fix it and stop him."

"Why?" the short and loud boy asked. "What's in it for _you_?"

"Yea, what are getting out of it?" The red haired boy asked.

"A weight off of my shoulders knowing that you all are not trapped here by a maniac in a black robe." Jane answered.

"Black robe?" The blond girl seemed frightened. "You know the man in black?"

Jane gave her a questioning look as the area grew silent.

"He told us we couldn't cross over." She went on. "He said we had to stay here because there wasn't any room for us."

"That is a lie." Jane stated. "He was lieing to you."

"He had one of those, too." She pointed to the scythe. "He said he was the only one who could cross us over and he said there was no room."

"He wasn't telling you the truth." Piff tried.

"Then why is it that when we try to leave, we can't go passed the creek or the road?" The red haired boy asked.

"There's a dome around this place." Piff glanced over at Jane for validation. "The man in black put it here to keep you in."

"Then how did you get in?" The pale boy with head gear asked, looking at Jane.

"I can do what you can't." Jane explained. "That's why I am here, I can help you."

"I don't believe you." The red haired boy snarled.

"She's telling the truth." Piff attempted. "Please, we want to help you."

"We're just fine!" The red haired girl yelled. "Get out!"

"Yea!" The short and loud boy echoed.

"Beat it!" The red haired boy frowned at them.

"We're not going anywhere until we help you." Jane stated sternly.

"Well, you're gonna be here a long time!" The short and loud boy yelled.

"Let's get out of here, guys, this party's been crashed." The red haired boy said as he began leading the kids away.

Piff looked over at Jane as the children retreated to their homes.

Jane then noticed that one had stayed behind, his knees shaking and his hands figiting as he approached.

"H-hello, there." He extended his hand to Jane. "I'm Eddward, but my friends call me Double D."

Jane took his hand gently and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, Double D." She nodded.

Double D extened his hand to Piff, who tried to shake it, but found his hand going straight through the other's.

"Oh, yes, that's right." Double D retracted his hand, a blush on his cheeks. "We can't touch the living when low on energy."

"Well, it's still nice to meet you, anyway." Piff smiled.

"Quite, quite." Double D nodded. "Would you like to come inside, out of the cold? I can't feel it, of course, but you must be freezing out here."

"That would be great, thank you." Piff nodded. He looked over at Jane who gave an approving nod and they both followed him to his home.

Double D opened the door with a light push and allowed them entrance to the dark house.

"I do apologize." He figited as he shut the door. "There is no power. There hasn't been for a long time. When the last family moved out, they cut the power off."

"It's alright." Piff smiled at him. "It's warmer in here than it is out there."

"Please, make yourselves at home." Double D smiled as he walked over to a few candles in the corner. He picked up an old box of matches and lit the candles, bringing a little light to the room they were in. "I apologize for my peers' reaction. They aren't very trusting of other spirits, especially ones like you, miss Jane."

"Please, just call me Jane." Jane smiled at him. "And it's quite alright. It's understandable, considering what Grim has done."

"I'm sorry, _Grim_?" Double D questioned. "Might I inquire as to whom you are speaking of?"

"You called him the Man in Black." Jane explained. "But he's actually the old Grim Reaper. He's been replaced since you all have been here but he hasn't let go of his little tricks. Several others, myself included, have become the new reapers and we are basically cleaning up his mess."

"I see." Double D nodded. "I had an idea that something was wrong with what he was saying. When you examine the theory of energy and then the vastness of our own univers you would naturally come to the conclusion that there is an endless amount of space outside of this plane of existance."

Piff looked over at Jane with raised eyebrows and then back at Double D.

"I apologize, my tongue gets away from me from time to time." Double D figited. "I guess what I was trying to say was... the afterlife can't run out of space."

"You are correct." Jane nodded.

"I also discovered something else." Double D looked out of a near by window. "Before I had that idea, I couldn't go passed the creek, as Kevin stated, but... after I began thinking more and more about it, and the less and less sense the Man in Black, or Grim, made... I found out that I could go passed the creek."

Jane's brows furrowed and she looked over at Piff, who was tapping his chin with his finger.

"It sounds like, to me, that you have figured out the weakness to the dome Grim has around this place." Jane spoke carefully. "As long as those who are trapped here believe they are truly trapped, they are. But you, on the other hand, began questioning the validity of Grim's words and then began to disbelieve him, therefor, you weakened the dome's power over you."

"You keep mentioning a trap or trick." Double D sat in front of the two. "What do you mean?"

"Grim was pretty powerful at one point in time." Jane looked over at Piff quickly. "He began to abuse his power. After he became a slave to Billy and Mandy..."

"Two humans he lost a bet to." Piff interjected.

"... He placed a thing over this area called a dome of confusion." Jane continued. "That's why you haven't been able to go very far. He's trapped you here to drain the energy you all gather from your surroundings."

"Like the creek." Double D's eyes widened.

"Yes." Jane nodded. "He's using you to keep his strength up after the two humans drain his abilities."

"That explains why we all get weak every so often." Double D thought outloud. "It all makes sense now. When we would get weak, we'd all go to the creek and either swim or lay around it and within the hour, we'd begin to feel better. The kenetic energy of the water must be charging us up and then The Man in Black must be draining us periodically."

"Exactly." Piff nodded. "Which is why we have to get you out of here. This is cruel."

"I couldn't agree more." Double D agreed.

"Honestly, you could go ahead and go if you wanted." Jane looked at Double D. "You've figured it out."

"But what of the others?" He asked. "I can't leave without them. Sure, they're loud, obnoxious, rude, hateful at times, and Dear Lord, their hygene..."

Piff raised his brows and looked over at Jane who only cracked a small smile.

"... But, they're all I have now and... I wont leave without them." He stated finally.

"Alright." Jane nodded. "Then you can help us out."

"How?" He asked. "My peers aren't... intellectuals."

"They don't have to be." Jane spoke. "This whole thing is based on belief and everyone has their own set of beliefs and reasons behind them. All we have to do is explain this in a way that they can understand."

"I am dreadfully sorry to say this, but..." Double D looked at the two. "Good luck. My small circle of friends, myself included, aren't well liked by the others."

"Neither was I." Piff chuckled. "But I promise you, Double D, we will help them."

Double D looked at the two for a moment before sighing and smiling at them.

"Thank you." He spoke softly. "I've been waiting so long for this."

"We know." Jane nodded. "We know."

A good while later, Piff unpacked a blanket and a pillow from his back pack and made a spot for himself on the floor. He settled in quickly, laying on his back, his arms behind his head, his eyes looking up and out of a window where the moon shone it. Most people would lose their minds sleeping in a house with ghosts, but for Piff, this was his reality. This was normal.

"Hey," He called over to Jane, who was sitting in the corner near by. "You gonna sleep?"

"Reapers don't sleep." Jane answered.

"Really?" Piff asked. "Like, at all?"

"Not usually, no." Jane answered. "Sometimes we sleep for pleasure, but as far as needing to sleep, the need doesn't exist."

"Oh." Piff nodded. "Okay then. Good night."

"Good night." Jane gave a single nod.

Piff closed his eyes and focused on sleeping.

* * *

Please continue to the next chapter for more awesome.


	5. Chapter 5: Horse

Chapter five, everyone. It's a long one, so sorry about that

* * *

"You know, this place is actually really pretty." Piff spoke as he stood in the doorway of Double D's house. The sun washed over the cul-de-sac and illuminated all of the wooded areas around it.

"It's home." Double D smiled at the area before him. "If I may, what are your plans for today?"

"Well," Jane spoke from behind them. She floated over to the two. "I'd like to meet your friends."

"I can take you to their homes, but I don't know whether they will let you in or not." Double D rubbed his arm and sighed.

"We've got to try." Piff smiled at him.

"True, very true." Double D nodded. "Well, there's no time quite like the present. Shall we go?"

"We shall." Jane smiled at him.

He lead the way out of the house and back into the street. The sun felt good on Piff's skin as the night before had been quite cold, which made it difficult to sleep.

The trip wasn't long as Double D walked up to a home in the circle of the cul-de-sac. He knocked on the door and noises stirred inside of the house.

"ED, GET THE DOOR!" A rough female voice called.

A quick sound of running feet approached the other side of the door and it opened to reveal a tall boy wearing a long green coat.

"Hey Double D!" He called happily.

"Hello Ed." Double D smiled at him.

Ed then noticed the two travelers standing behind his friend and he leaned in, squinting.

Piff glanced over at Jane as the boy studied them, his brain seeming to work overtime trying to remember who they were. Then suddenly, his eyes widened and a smile spread across his face.

"Who are your friends, Double D?" Ed asked.

"This is Jane and Piff, the travelers from last night?" Double D tried to prompt his memory. "Remember?"

Ed strained to think once more, a few moments passing, then suddenly he spoke.

"I like to lick the spoon, Double D." He smiled, his eyes blinking one at a time.

Jane and Piff looked at each other with confusion on their faces before Double D turned to speak to them.

"Ed is..." Double D thought for a moment. "Unique."

"Oh, okay." Jane nodded.

Piff's brows knitted together, but he just accepted Doub;e D's explanation.

"Ed, might we come inside and talk?" Double D asked.

"Open sesemee seed bun!" Ed laughed as he walked away from the door.

Double D lead the two inside. The interior of the house was much like Double D's. It was barren of furniture and other appliances, but the house was in good condition.

Jane floated through the house, following the others, when she noticed something in the corner. She veered off the path and over to the book and, picking it up, realized it was a comic book. She smiled and quickly floated over to Ed, showing him the book.

"You like comic books?" She asked.

"Yes!" He smiled widely, grabbing the book and flipping through pages. He then turned it around and held it up to Jane's face. "This is The Invader Martian Werewolves from Planet 9! They came to earth to replinish their devilish hoards and take over the world!"

Jane smiled at the pages in front of her.

"That's really cool, Ed." She saw the boy's face light up. "I used to draw comic books."

"YOU DID?!" Ed smiled widely.

"Yep." Jane beamed. "They were about Marching Bands, mostly, but I did a few super hero ones here and there."

"Can you make one with me?!" Ed asked. "Please! I wanna be a super hero astronaut who combats the evil forces of the brain eating mutant rabbits of Zexar i3!"

Piff and Double D watched with an odd fascination as Ed and Jane spoke.

"It's like she knows his language." Piff chuckled.

"Ed loves these mindless comic books." Double D sighed. "I, personally, don't see the point in them. Especially when you look at all of the scientific impossibilities presented by them and the numerous plot holes."

Piff just nodded and smiled, fearing getting wrapped up in the boy's vast vocabulary.

"Sure, Ed, I'll make you one." Jane smiled.

"Oh, thank you!" Jane was shocked when Ed threw his arms around her and squeezed her until her face turned blue.

"Ed, I do believe you are killing the reaper." Double D giggled.

Ed released Jane and laughed as she sighed and cracked her back and neck.

"ED!" The rough female voice called again. "WHAT IS ALL THE RACKET ABOUT?!"

The little red haired girl entered the room and immediately paniced when she saw the two travelers.

"ED! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" She yelled as she leapt onto her brother's shoulders and pulled his ears. "YOU LET IN THE ENEMY!"

"But Sarah, she said she would make a comic book about me!" Ed pleaded.

Sarah leapt off of her brother's shoulders, knocking him over and looked up at the travelers and Double D.

"STAY AWAY FROM OUR HOUSE!" She yelled.

Jane and Piff backed up, Piff picking at his now ringing ears.

"We're right here, you don't have to scream." Piff shook his head.

"I'M NOT SCREAMING!" Sarah insisted. "YOU HAVEN'T HEARD ME SCREAM, YET!"

"Please, don't." Double D quivered.

Jane looked passed Sarah, searching for something, anything in the house that she could relate to her on, but nothing was to be found. Panic began to set in when suddenly, Piff stepped in.

"Sarah?" He asked. "Is that your name?"

"Yea!" Sarah crossed her arms. "Don't wear it out!"

"That's a very pretty name." He smiled at her. "It suits you. A pretty name for a pretty girl."

Sarah's cheeks flushed suddenly and she looked away.

"I bet you have a ton of boys after your hand." Piff knelt down, getting on her level.

A few moments of silence passed and suddenly Sarah let out a small giggle.

"Gee, I dunno about that." She looked up at him.

"Well, you are quite pretty, Sarah." Piff smiled at her, looking over the tops of his shades at her. "Here..."

He dug through his pockets until he found what he was looking for, He pulled out a gum wrapper and began to fold it until he'd made a little flower.

"A flower for the pretty lady." He winked at her as he handed the small trinket over to her.

She took it carefully and looked at it, her face flushed. She sighed and looked up at him as he stood back up.

"Maybe the others were wrong about you, Piff." She smiled, her eyes batting dramatically. "You're welcomed here anytime."

"Thanks." Piff smirked at her, making her pretend to swoon.

Jane and Double D exchanged stunned expressions before shaking it off and coming to their senses.

"Sarah, can Ed come with us?" Double D asked.

Sarah just waved at them, being too busy with looking at the flower to care.

The group quickly left the house with Ed and followed Double D to the next home rather quickly.

"Good thinking, there, Piff!" Jane smiled at him. "You're quite the charmer!"

"Nah," Piff chuckled. "She reminded me of a red head from my school. She's always angry unless you're kissing her ass."

Jane laughed and floated up to the next door with the group. Double D knocked, Ed smiling blankly behind him. It took a few minutes, but finally the short and loud boy answered the door.

"It's 9am, Double D, what do you want?" He asked, irritated.

"Well, Eddy, we wish to speak with you." Double D smiled, albeit, worridly.

"We?" Eddy poked his head out of the door and almost shreiked when he saw the two travelers. "WHY DID YOU BRING THEM TO _MY _HOUSE?!"

"We need to speak with you, Eddy." Double D explained.

Eddy facepalmed and growled into his hand, his angry eyes peeking out from between his fingers.

"Hurry up and get inside before the others see you and decide to do something about it." He snarled, stepping back from the door.

"Thank you, Eddy." Double D chirpped as he stepped inside, the others following cautiously.

Once everyone was inside, Eddy slammed the door and turned to glare at everyone.

"What do _you _want?" He asked the travelers, his arms crossed.

"Well..." Jane looked over at Piff for a second. "I can tell you what we _don't _want... we don't want any hostility. Honestly, we don't mean any harm."

"It's true, Eddy, Piff and Jane aren't the enemy." Double D tried.

"Oh yea?" Eddy cocked an eyebrow at his friend. "What make _you _so sure?"

"Just listen!" Double D pleaded.

"Fine!" Eddy gave in. He looked at the two travelers.

"I know we look..." Jane looked at Piff again. "Odd... but we're not here to cause trouble. We're here to fix a problem that someone else, someone who was supposed to help you, caused. You have all been ripped off and you're paying a price that is not yours to pay."

"Ain't that the truth." Eddy scoffed. "If I _did _believe you, what would you two clowns do about it?"

"Well, we'd start with fixing the first problem." Piff explained. "We'd get rid of the thing that's keeping you here."

"How are you going to get rid of purgatory?" Eddy uncrossed his arms and placed them on his hips. "This isn't a game of Dungeons and Dummies, you know."

"I believe it's Dungeons and Dragons, Eddy." Double D corrected.

"You would know." Eddy made a face at the now blushing boy.

"It's not purgatory." Jane offered up. "The Man in Black lied to you. He tricked you all into thinking you can't leave so he can drain your energy when he's running low."

"Prove it." Eddy scowled.

The two looked over at Double D, prompting him to tell his side of the story.

"Eddy, they're right." Double D explained. "After I came to the conclusion that The Man in Black was, indeed, incorrect, I discovered that I could go beyond the creek. Which means that this whole thing is based on what you believe rather than what actually it."

"You can go passed the creek?" Eddy asked, his arms falling to his sides. "... How far?"

"Not too far, I'm not strong enough, but I can go into the woods a little ways." Double D smiled at him.

"... Show me." Eddy demanded.

"Eddy, I don't think..." Double D was cut off.

"No, that's a great idea." Piff spoke up. "If the others could see you do it, they'd believe what they saw."

"This." Jane pointed at Piff.

"We'd break this thing wide open." Piff looked at Double D, pleading.

"... Alright, I'll do it." He nodded, wearing a brave face.

"Okay." Jane nodded. "But how do we get the others to come and see?"

"Most of these saps aren't hard to reel in, trust me." Eddy spoke up. "I can get most of them to the creek by this afternoon, but you two have the pleasure of convincing Nazz and Kevin."

"I have no clue who those people are, Eddy." Jane frowned.

"Nazz is the blond girl, Kevin is the red haired loud mouth that everyone worships around here." Eddy rolled his eyes.

"I see." Jane nodded. "Leave it to us."

"Good luck, you'll need it." Eddy crossed his arms once more.

"We''ll go find Kevin and Nazz, you three work on getting the others to the creek." Jane informed the Eds.

"Will do." Double D smiled up at the two travelers.

"Aye, aye, captain!" Ed laughed.

"We'll come find you once everything is in order." Piff said before he and Jane headed for the door.

"Alright, have at it." Eddy waved them off lazily.

Jane and Piff exited the house and walked to the center of the cul-de-sac where they looked around. They could see various balls, a basket ball goal, frisbies, and other objects laying around and some of the other spirits stirring, glancing at them as they went about their business, all weary of their presence.

"Sheesh." Piff made a face. "So this is what it's like having the plague."

"You're telling me." Jane raised her eye brows. "But we have a job to do. Let's get going."

"Right." Piff nodded.

They made their way towards the back of the houses, voices nearby, where a tall wooden fence stood. Jane floated through it while Piff scaled it and landed on the other side.

The two ducked behind a trash can and peeked around it barely, listened to the voices, a male and a female.

"I duuno, Kev, maybe they really are here to help." Nazz frowned

"You're kidding me, Nazz." Kevin crossed his arms.

"Well..." Nazz rubbed her arms.

"If there is one thing I know for sure, it's that no one ever does anything because they want to help." He growled. "There's a price to everything."

"... _I've _never done that to you." Nazz looked up at him.

"You're an exception." Kevin put his hand on her shoulder, making her smile.

"Good." She beamed.

"I'm gonna go talk to Rolf about this whole thing." Keven sighed as he hopped onto a bike. "Maybe he has some old world joo-joo that can get rid of those two."

"Okay." Nazz still seemed unsure.

"Hang in there, babe." Kevin offered a small smile before peddling off down the lot.

Nazz waved as he vanished around the corner and leaned against the lot fence, crossing her arms and making small circles in the dirt with her shoe.

"He's not very fond of us, is he?" Piff called out gently.

Nazz gasped and spun around to see Jane and Piff standing behind the trashcan, their hands up in defense.

"How long have you been there?" She asked, flustered. "Were you eavsdropping?!"

"Yea, we were." Piff admitted. "But, look, we just want to talk."

"We didn't know how else to get close enough without scaring you away." Jane added softly.

Nazz looked up at them, settling down once she knew they weren't up to anything shadey.

"Well, I gotta say, guys, hiding in the lot is kinda sketch." She cocked an eyebrow at them.

"We know." Piff chuckled. "But while we're all here, let's just chat for a while."

Jane crossed her legs and hovered to the ground as Piff sat down, one leg bent to his chest and the other stretched out in front of him.

Nazz sat on her knees, waiting to hear what the two had to say.

"I promise that everything I said yesterday was true." Jane began. "I truly want to help you guys cross over. This isn't where you belong. You belong somewhere with endless space and wonder. A place big enough for your imaginations."

Nazz looked at Jane for a long time, then at the ground.

"Tell me, Nazz," Piff spoke up. "Are you happy here?"

"... Well..." Nazz began. "... I mean, I'm happy that I have my friends, and I'm happy that we're all still together, but... I want to see other places. I don't like being trapped here. I want to be free..."

"Well," Piff smiled at her softly. "What if we told you that you can see other places?"

"We can't go passed the creek..." Nazz frowned.

"That's because you believe you can't." Piff smiled. "But if you believed you can, then you can."

"What?" Nazz asked.

"As I said before, The Man in Black put a spell on this place to keep you here." Jane explained. "But almost every spell either wears off or there is a loop hole of sorts. The loop hole in this one is that it only works if you believe it does. That's why he lied to you. He wanted you to believe you couldn't leave so he could keep you here and feed off of your energy when he was running low."

"Why would someone do something like that?" Nazz pouted.

"He's not a nice person, Nazz." Piff frowned. "He was even mean to me when I was a kid. He's just a bad guy."

"Well..." Nazz glared suddenly. "That's not cool! I don't want to be stuck here anymore!"

"I'm glad." Jane nodded. "I tell you what, everyone's gonna meet at the creek this afternoon. You go there, too, and we will put an end to his little trick."

"Alright." Nazz nodded. "I'll do it. I'm gonna get out of here and I'm taking my friends with me!"

"Yes you are." Piff smiled.

Nazz stood up and started off down the lot, but she paused for a moment to look back and speak.

"Thanks, guys!" She waved and took off again.

Piff and Jane stood up and looked at one another, sharing a sigh of relief before going through and over the fence once more.

"Well, one to go." Piff stated.

"I think I know how to handle Kevin." Jane thought out loud. "Follow me.

She floated off towards the middle of the cul-de-sac again, Piff in towe.

"Where are we going?" Piff asked.

"To play a game of horse." Jane smiled at him.

"What?" Piff cocked an eyebrow.

"You heard me." Jane smirked as she floated over to a basketball that was sitting against the curb.

"Do we really have time for this, Jane?" He asked. "I mean, we still have work to do."

"Just play." Jane threw the ball at him.

Piff looked at the ball and then at Jane before just accepting her orders and throwing the ball at a goal set up at the end of the cul-de-sac. The ball made a racket as it hit the backboard and went in.

"Good shot!" Jane cheered. "My turn!"

Piff passed the ball to her and she stood in the spot he had stood. She threw the ball and it hit the backboard and bounced off of the rim.

"Dang!" Jane frowned. "That's an h for me."

She passed the ball back to Piff who stood back and took another shot. The ball went through the net without a sound.

"Wow, you're actually really good at this." Jane made a face of approval. She caught the ball when he threw it and made another shot.

The ball hit the rim but went in, which made Jane yelp.

"I got one!" She smiled. She passed the ball back to Piff.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that they were attracting attention from the other spirits. They stood along the sidewalk and in their yards and watched the game unfold.

The ball went through the net once more and Piff passed it back to Jane.

"Seriously, were you on the team at your school?" Jane asked.

"No, I just have good hand-eye coordination, I guess." Piff shrugged.

Jane threw the ball and it bounced off of the rim again.

"Dude... I suck." Jane laughed.

"It's because you're short." Piff teased.

"Probably!" Jane laughed. "I have an h and an o so far."

Piff took a shot and the ball hit the rim, bounced, and fell off of the side, making him loose a point for the first time.

"Dang." He frowned. "I have an h now."

"Yup!" Jane laughed.

Piff passed her the ball and she took her shot. The ball hit the backboard and went in.

"Sweet!" Jane clapped. She picked the ball up and threw it back at Piff who caught it and took a quick shot. The ball went through the net with a light swish.

"You're really good, dude, no lie!" Jane laughed, slightly shocked by the goth boy's skill.

"Thanks." He smiled as he passed the ball back to her.

Jane glanced around quickly and noticed Kevin standing on the sidewalk next to a tall dark haired boy who she presumed to be Rolf.

She quickly took the shot and the ball bounced off of the back board and over to Piff.

"Okay, that's an h, an o, and now an r for me." Jane laughed. "I am obviously not a basketball player."

Piff chuckled and threw the ball. It hit the backboard, bounced off of the rim and went into the net. He picked the ball up and threw it back to Jane.

"No s, no s, no s..." Jane murmered as she took the shot. The ball clipped the side of the back board and bounced right back at her. She caught the ball and passed it to Piff. "Dang it!"

Piff laughed and took his shot, making the net again. He passed the ball back to Jane, amused by her horrible basketball abilities.

"Last shot!" Jane winced. She took a deep breath and threw the ball. It hit the rim, paused, and then fall off, costing her the game.

"Noooooo!" She laughed. "I am awful!"

Piff laughed and walked over to her, and patted her back.

"Yea, yea you are." He teased.

She smacked his hand away with a laugh and picked the ball up. She looked around at the spirits who were all watching.

"Anyone wanna play?" She called.

The others remained quiet, unsure and did not answer.

"Anyone?" She called. "A game of horse?"

"I'll play." Kevin spoke up.

Jane and Piff turned around and looked at him.

"Cool." Jane smiled. "Pick a team mate."

"I choose Rolf." Kevin looked over at the tall boy.

Rolf nodded and walked with him to meet Jane and Piff.

"Let's make this interesting, why don't we?" Kevin spoke lowly to Jane and Piff. "If we win, you leave this place and never come back."

"Alright." Jane nodded. "And if _we _win, you have to come to the creek this afternoon."

"Game on." Kevin smirked. "Take your shot, ponytail."

Piff adjusted his shades and threw the ball. It went through the net and hit the ground, rolling over to Rolf.

Jane and Piff backed up as the tall boy threw the ball. It hit the backboard and went through the net.

Rolf tossed the ball to Jane who aimed carefully and threw the ball. It hit the rim and rolled off of the side.

"Awww." Jane pouted.

"That's an h for you dorks." Kevin smirked.

Jane tossed him the ball and he wasted no time making the shot and sending the ball straight through the net.

Kevin picked the ball up and passed it to Piff with some force behind it.

Piff ignored the hostility and threw the ball. It went through the net, making a swishing sound. He picked it back up and passed it to Rolf.

Rolf aimed and threw the basket ball, but it hit the backboard too hard and Jane caught it.

"H for you guys." Jane pointed out.

"We'll see how long we stay tied." Kevin crossed his arms.

"Indeed." Jane nodded. She aimed carefull and threw the ball. It hit the rim, balanced, and rolled into the hoop. "Yes!"

She picked the ball up when it rolled back to her and she tossed it to Kevin.

Kevin, once again, made a flawless shot and passed the ball over to Piff.

Piff threw the ball and watched as it hit the back board, bounced into the rim, and through the hoop. Piff retrieved the ball and passed it over to Rolf.

Rolf threw the ball and it hit the rim and fell into the hoop. He smiled and passed the ball to Jane.

She aimed and took the shot. The ball hit the backboard and then the rim, falling off of the side.

"Shoot." Jane frowned.

"You got an o." Kevin called as Jane tossed the ball over to him.

He made a one handed shot and the ball went straight in. He smirked and threw the ball over to Piff.

Piff carefully aimed and threw the ball. It went straight through and bounced back over to him. With a smile, he passed it to Rolf.

"You are good, ponytailed boy." Rolf smiled.

"Thanks." Piff chuckled.

Rolf made his shot and the ball hit the rim and bounced off. He caught it and passed it to Jane.

"We, too, have an o now." Rolf kept score.

Jane took a minute to aim and threw the ball. It hit the backboard and went in, to her surprise.

"Yay." She clapped. She picked the ball up and tossed it to Kevin, who made his shot skillfully.

The ball went in and the threw it back over to Piff.

Piff threw the ball and it bounced off of the backboard and missed the hoop.

"Aww." Piff frowned aas he retrieved the ball and passed it to Rolf.

Rolf took the shot and made the hoop cleanly.

"Right in the middle!" He laughed, passing the ball to Jane, who couldn't help but smile at the tall boy's enthusiasm.

She careully aimed and threw the ball, but it hit the rim and bounced off.

"Well crap." She said flatly as she caught the ball.

"R!" Kevin pointed.

Jane passed the ball to him and he, once more, made a masterful shot. The ball barely grazed the net and hit the ground.

He retrieved the ball and threw it over to Piff.

Piff thre the ball and it went through with no problem. He picked it up and passed it to Rolf.

Rolf aimed and made the shot, but the ball hit the backboard and missed the hoop.

"R." Jane nodded as Rolf passed the ball to her. She took longer to aim and then threw the ball. It hit the rim and fell in, making her smile as she passed it over to Kevin.

Kevin aced the shot again and passed the ball over to Piff.

Piff aimed and threw the ball. It hit the rim, bounced and seemed to pause there forever. Finally it fell off of the side and rolled back to him.

"S." Piff frowned as he passed the ball to Rolf.

Rolf threw the ball and it hit the backboard and then the rim before bouncing off of the side.

"S." Jane whispered.

Rolf passed the ball to her and she looked up at the goal, aiming more carefully than she had at anypoint in the game. She took a deep breath and finally let the ball go.

She closed her eyes and only peeked to see what was happened. Suddenly, her eyes shot wide open as the ball went through the hoop with a swish.

"Oh milanta..." She gaped as she retrieved the ball. She passed it to Kevin who glared at her. He turned away from the goal and threw the ball over his shoulder.

It flew through the air and hit the backbaord. He turned suddenly in just enough time to see it miss the hoop and hit the ground. He was stunned, as were the others who were watching.

"... That's e." Piff spoke. "That's game."

The other spirits looked at one another, mumbling and whispering when something caught their attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" Eddy's voice rang out.

Everyone turned to see Eddy standing off to the side with a handmade megaphone.

"This afternoon, come see the daring, the outrageous, and the totally unbeliveable magic of Double D the Amazing!" He made a dramatic gesture to his friend, who stood, figiting. "This very afternoon, Double D the Amazing will attempt to cross beyond the creek!"

The entire cul-de-sac began talking. They were in shock at what was being said.

"I'll believe it when I see it!" The small pale boy called.

"Then come see it!" Eddy retorted. "And be AMAZED!"

And with that, he ran off into the woods with the other two Eds.

"This I gotta see." Sarah crossed her arms, glancing over at the pale boy. "Whad'ya say, Jimmy?"

"Okay, Sarah." He smiled.

Jane and Piff watched as the others dispersed and returned to what they were doing before the game had begun.

Piff turned to look at Jane with wide eyes behind his shades.

"Can you believe that just happned?" He asked.

"Somethings are just meant to be." Jane said, equally as shocked. "C'mon, let's get some food in you before this afternoon. I got a feeling we may end up in a bit of a stich later."

"Same here." Piff nodded, following Jane as she lead him into the woods.

* * *

For more awesome, go to the next chapter.


	6. Chapter 6: Crossing the Creek

Chapter six, not as long, but still pretty good hahaha

* * *

The two settled into a small clearing where small leafy plants sprung up from the ground all around them. Jane floated over the grass, examining the various grasses and weeds as Piff followed her, looking around at the trees.

Jane stopped for a moment, reached down, and pulled up a wad of green clover-looking plants with yellow flowers and handed it to Piff.

"Here, eat this." She put the plant in his open palm.

"What is it?" He asked, looking the little plant over.

"Wood Sorrel." Jane answered. "Also known as Billy Goat Grass. Try it."

Piff looked at her for a moment before biting at the plant. He rolled the pods aroud on his tongue for a moment before shivering and making a face at her.

"It's sour!" He laughed.

"Yep." Jane nodded. "That's because of a small amount of toxin in the plant."

Piff's eyes widened and he considered spitting the plant out in an act of panic.

"It's not enough to kill you, there, Indiana Jones." Jane chuckled. "Just don't pig out on it."

Piff nodded and ate the plant. Not a moment after he'd swallowed what he'd had, Jane had pulled up another plant.

"This is Wood Strawberry." Jane told him as she placed some red berries in his hand. "They're watery and they have a similar texture to that of a cotton ball, but it's edible so, yea."

Piff hesitantly placed a red sphere into his mouth and bit down on it. Immediately, the juices flowed over his tongue. His brows knitted together and he looked at Jane.

"It doesn't taste like anything." He looked down at the berries in his palm.

"Yep." Jane smirked. "That's about right."

Piff threw back the rest of the berries and watched Jane pulled up some familiar clovers.

"Clovers?" He asked.

"Yep." Jane smiled as she handed them over to him. "Really strong in taste but a great source of protein."

Piff looked over the little green plant and bit into it, his mouth and nose filling with a cucumber-like scent.

"Wow, that is strong." Piff shivered. "Yeesh!"

"My first clover wasn't very pleasent, either." Jane chuckled. "It's an aquired taste."

"I can tell." Piff foreced the rest of the plants down and decided he was done nibbling for a while. He sat down and rested as Jane hovered next to him, her legs crossed. "So, where did you learn that from?"

"I used to live in kind of a rural area where people grew stuff all the time." Jane answered. "You learn a thing or two from it being passed down and then sometimes you just find out for yourself. I also read some really good books on the subject, you should read up on it sometime. It's really fun."

"It looks like it." Piff nodded. He looked around at the scenery and up at the sky where the sun had begun to make it's way to the west. "Wont be long now."

"Nope." Jane spoke. "Are you ready?"

"I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Piff smiled over at her.

"No, not really." She chuckled.

"So, what do you think will happen to this place?" Piff asked. "After it's cleared out?"

"I look for people to come back after a while." Jane answered. "Someone who's unfamiliar with the rumors about this place. Then, it'll develope back into a livable neighborhood."

"I'd like to see that." Piff smiled at the idea.

"Maybe you will." Jane looked over at him.

"I hope so." Piff sighed. "Wouldn't mind having a house, here, myself."

"Only someone like you would move into a previously haunted neighborhood." Jane chuckled.

"Nah, not just me." Piff laughed. "Other goth kids, too."

"Of course." Jane rolled her eyes with a smile.

* * *

The afternoon sun poured in over the cul-de-sac and the spirits had begun to make their way to the creek to see what the fuss was about earlier, or if there was a catch, as was the nature of Eddy's attractions.

Jane and Piff followed behind, keeping a comfortable space between the spirits and themselves so as not to alarm anyone.

The walk to the creek wasn't a long one, only taking around five minutes over easy terrain. The creek wasn't large or fierce by any means, rather it was of meduim size and perfect for kids to play in safely. Jane and Piff spotted the Eds gathered on the bank and went to meet them.

"Glad you could make it." Eddy greeted them.

"Indeed." Jane smiled. "You guys ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Double D shivered.

"Don't be nervous, Double D." Jane smiled. "Look at it this way; you can't possibly mess this up, you've already figured it out."

"True." He nodded, glancing over at the creek. "I just don't like being in the spot light."

"It wont be for long." Piff smiled. "Just cross the creek, show the others it's possible, and boom, it's over."

Double D smiled at him and nodded.

"Good man." Piff reached out and patted his shoulder. He then made a face, suddenly realizing that he couldn't touch Doube D when he'd first met him.

Double D saw the suddenly confusion and took it upon himself to explain the phenominon.

"Whenever we come to the creek, we gather more energy." He looked up at the two. "And when we gather more energy, we can manifest better. That's why you can touch me, now."

"Oh." Piff nodded. "Wow, this creek must give you guys a lot of energy, then."

"It does." Double D nodded.

"Alright, alright," Eddy butted in. "Enough with the science lesson. Go sit with the others while we prepare."

Piff and Jane bid their goodbyes and went to sit with the other spirits, who had taken on the energy from the creek as well.

The two sat beside one another and the other spirits gathered around them, looking at them and whispering in curiosity.

Suddenly, Piff felt his ponytail being lifted up. He looked around and saw Nazz smiling at him.

"I LOVE your hair, dude!" She smiled, stroking the purple strands.

"Thanks?" He looked at her.

"I've wanted to do this since I saw you guys come in." She laughed, separating the ponytail into three pieces and braiding it. "It's so healthy. Wish I could get my hair to grow out like this."

Piff looked over at Jane and cocked an eyebrow, but Jane only smiled at him.

Jane turned to look to her right, but was met with a rather goofy face that startled her and she yelped, making Piff laugh.

"Ha, ha!" A bald boy laughed as he removed the plank of wood from her side. "Plank got ya'!"

"Plank?" Jane asked, laughing now, as well.

"He's my best friend! What's that, plank?" The boy held the piece of wood to his ear for a moment. "... Plank says he likes your stick!"

Jane looked down at the scythe laying next to her and smiled.

"My scythe?" She asked.

"Yea!" The boy smiled widely.

"Why, thank you." Jane smiled at him.

"Don't thank me," He laughed, holding the board out again. "Thank Plank!"

"Thanks, Plank." Jane nodded with a smile.

"He says you're welcome." The boy smiled.

"Move it, Johnny!" Sarah pushed him out of the way, taking his spot.

"Plank says you're too aggressive for your age!" Johnny yelled as he took another seat nearby.

"Plank's not too good to become fire wood!" Sarah retorted. She then looked back over at Piff, who's hair was now braided and being adorned with flowers. "Hi, Piff."

Sarah batted her eyes at him.

"Hi, Sarah." Piff's eyes widened.

"What'cha' doin'?" She asked, smiling at him.

"Just sittin' around." Piff answered, obtaining a giggle from Sarah.

"That's so cool." She sighed. "Here, Nazz, let me help you."

Sarah walked over to Nazz and sat down where she began helping her pick flowers and weave them into Piff's hair.

"I like your jacket." Jimmy sat down near Sarah and looked over at Jane.

"Thanks." Jane smiled at him.

"Military inspired fashion has really come back in this season." He smiled.

"Oh?" Jane asked.

"Yep." He nodded. "The people who used to live in my house wanted to be fashion designers and they always kept up with the latest fashions. Looks like you have, too."

"Oh, this is my uniform." Jane looked down at the barred jacket. "All of my kind wear it."

"Like a Marching Band?" He asked.

"Yea, just like a Marching Band." Jane smiled at him.

"I wanted to be in the Band once." Jimmy put his hands out in front of him as if he were playing the clarinet. "But my head gear made it impossible to play anything."

"Drums?" Jane asked. "Any percussion?"

"I was too weak to hold up a drum and too short to reach the other ones." Jimmy sighed.

"Well, maybe you can acheive your dream later." Jane smiled.

"You think so?" He asked.

"I do." Jane nodded.

"Rolf would like to congratulate the pony tailed boy on his victory of the game of horse." Rolf walked over and sat down near Piff, reaching out and pinching his cheek. "Rolf offers you the cheek pinch of congratulation!"

"Thanks, Rolf." Piff was slightly puzzled by the tall boy's actions, but also amused. "You were really good, too."

"Oh, that is because Rolf used to chuck large beats into a basket in the old country!" Rolf thought back to his childhood. "What times those were!"

"I bet." Piff nodded. "Where is your family from?"

"It is a vast land full of wilderness and wonder!" Rolf explained, his eyes wide with happiness as he thought back. "There were mountains as high as the moon and valleys as wide as the seas! People of this land called it..."

"ATTENTION EVERYONE!" Eddy's voice rang out over the group, making them look up, even Kevin, who sat away from the group. "It's showtime!"

Eddy turned to Double D and smiled at hime.

"You can do it, Double D!" Ed called. "Just think about macaroni!"

Double D stepped into the creek and glanced back at Ed.

"Thanks for the encouragment, Ed." He nodded. He turned his attention back to the creek, his heart racing as every eye was on him. He slowly waded out into the deeper part of the waters, lifting his arms up above the surface.

"What if he really makes it?" Nazz asked Sarah.

"Ha, that'll be the day." Sarah scoffed.

Double D continued to walk, the waters lowering a little as he neared the otherside of the creek. With careful hands, he climbed up to the bank and stood, steadying himself and looking at the place he once could not cross.

"He'll never do it." Kevin mumbled, Jane overhearing him.

"Don't be so sure." She spoke without looking at him.

Kevin glanced over at Jane and scoffed, returning to watch Double D.

Double D took a deep breath and let his inner determination and need for discovery take over. He climbed up the bank and took hold of a tree root so he could pull himself up and onto the grassy area. Once there, he stood and looked into the woods. Before, this would be as far as he could go, just like the others, but things were different now.

He held his breath, without the need to breath, and took one step into the woods. Then another. And another.

"look..." Nazz's eyes grew wide. "He's doing it, he's actually doing it!"

"Sarah, he's crossing the boundry!" Jimmy grabbed Sarah's sleeve.

"Go, Double D, go!" Sarah called.

"Rolf can not believe his eyes!" Rolf gaped.

"Looky there, Plank!" Johnny smiled widely.

"I don't believe it..." Kevin's arms fell to his sides.

"You should." Jane spoke, looking at him. "That's your ticket out of here."

Double D walked into the woods a good ways before deciding the point had been proven and he could come back. He turned and waved at the others who were all standing and cheering for him.

He began walking back as the others waded into the waters to meet him with a large group hug.

Jane and Piff stood on the bank, watching with smiles. Jane turned and looked at Kevin as he walked up beside of them.

"... I don't know what to say." He spoke carefully.

"You could start with thanking Double D." Jane smiled at him. "He had this all figured out a long time ago."

"You're kidding me." Kevin looked at her.

"Not at all." Jane shook her head. "He just didn't know how to approach you all about it."

"... We probably wouldn't have listened." Kevin frowned. "We hardly ever do."

"It pays to be open minded." Jane smiled.

"Yea, seriously." Kevin chuckled. "So, where do we go from here?"

"You'll see." Jane smiled.

The group waded out of the creek and walked with Double D, all cheering still, back to the cul-de-sac.

* * *

To the next chapter for more awesome.


	7. Chapter 7: A Dance With Death

We reach the climax!

* * *

Everyone gathered in the middle of the cul-de-sac and waited for the two travelers to speak.

"As I said before, there was a spell over this place that kept you here." Jane spoke clearly. "It's strength came from whether or not you believed in it. One brave soul's courage to question it's validity is what weakened it. Your determined spirit is what lead you to watch him challenge it, and your hope is what made you stay to witness it for yourselves. Finally, your belief is what destroyed it. Together you can accomplish anything. You are strong as a whole."

"Wherever you go, we ask that you take each other with you." Piff spoke. "Everything happens for a reason. You're being together was no accident. You all have a working system, here, that makes you strong. You aren't just neighbors, you are family. You are your strongest when you are together."

The spirits looked at one another, smiling, some hugging each other and holding hands.

"I am going to retrieve a tool with wich I will help you crossover." Jane smiled. "I'll return shortly. Piff will stay here while you wait."

Jane smiled at them and glanced at Piff, who nodded. She walked towards the end of the road, holding her scythe up. With a swift motion, she cut a hole in the air, making a portal. She stepped through it and vanished, leaving the world.

Piff looked back at the spirits, who were all huddled together happily.

"Are you guys excited?" Piff asked.

"Yea." Nazz smiled, leaning into Kevin and her arm around Double D.

"It's going to be rather intrigueing to see other sights." Double D looked over at Eddy and Ed, who sat on his other side, their arms around each others' shoulders.

"Yea, I can't wait to see it!" Jimmy giggled.

"It'll be great." Sarah smiled, holding Jimm'y hand and sitting next to Ed.

"I'm glad you're all excited." Piff smiled.

"We owe it to you and the reaper." Kevin spoke up.

"Yea!" A few others called.

"Nah, you guys did all the work." Piff chuckled. "We just helped you here and there."

"But we never could've done it without you two." Nazz smiled.

"Plank says you two were a miricle!" Johnny laughed, sitting at Rolf's side.

"Rolf agrees." Rolf nodded.

"It wont be long until you all get your reward." Piff smiled. He looked at the ground where his shadow laid, his mind wandering from thought to thought, when suddenly, his shadow vanished. His brows knitted together and he looked up at the sky along with the others as dark, sinister clouds rolled in. He then looked at the group, who were suddenly panic stricken.

"... We have company..." Eddy gulped.

Piff looked at him for a moment and then turned to look down the road. A dark mass was approaching them aggressively, tendrils of darkness snaking around them and a large metal scythe in their right hand.

"Oh no..." Piff whispered.

* * *

The portal opened again and Jane stepped through, a lantern hanging from one of the notches in her scythe blade. She began walking back down the road when she realized something wasn't right. The sky was sickly and dark, the atmosphere around her had changed, and there wasn't a soul in sight.

Her pace quickened as she walked down the road, a pit in her stomach.

"I warned you." A familiar voice rang out from the area around her.

She stopped dead in her tracks and looked around.

"But you didn't listen to ol' Grim."

"Come out, you boney bastard!" Jane yelled.

"As you wish." He chuckled darkly as he manifested a few yards away from her.

"Jane!" Piff cried out from behind one of the houses. He ran out and joined her side, ready to face Grim. "He showed up while you were gone. The others are hidden."

"No need to hide de children." Grim chuckled. "I wouldn't hurt a hair on der little heads. Der my battery, afterall."

"Not for long, you lanky son-of-a-bitch." Jane snarled. She unhooked the lantern from her scythe and handed it to Piff. "Take care of this, it's their way out of here."

Piff took the lantern and ran back to the house with it nestled in his arms like a baby.

"Little girl, stop dis madness." Grim pointed his scythe at her. "You're endangering all de ones you love, don't you see that?"

"All I see is a wretched, washed up ol' bag of bones begging for an ass whoopin'." Jane hissed.

"I tried to help you." Grim glowered. "But you've left me no choice. You did dis to yourself."

Grim gripped his scythe with both hands as he readied for conflict. Around him, he could feel the new reaper's energy surging like waves in the ocean. A boney smirk crawled across his white face as his shadow expanded and sent out a wave of energy. A loud boom echoed through the skies as it hit the area around them. She readied her scythe, the air around them charged with the energy of anger and high emotions. Suddenly, a pair of large feathered wings grew out of her back, not tearing the uniform as it seemed to creep out of the way. She looked up at him, a skull pattern on her face, and glared.

"Cute." Grim cracked a wicked grin.

He raised his scythe and plunged it into the concrete below him, splitting it like tissue paper. An electric red energy shot up from the crack in the ground and crept up the scythe blade, down the hande and to his hands where it climbled up his arms and to the rest of his body. Suddenly, two sharp boney appendages shot from his back and spread, revealing themselves to be bone bare wings.

Jane watched, her eyes wide as he looked up at her, his once hollow eyes glowing with the feirce red energy. He opened his mouth and smiled as the glow exited from every opening on his face.

Before she could react, he leapt into the air and flew at her with inhuman speeds. He plowed into her, sending her flying down the road. She hit the concrete, digging it up in the process, until she finally came to a stop.

She was baffled and dizzy. She honestly had no clue what had hit her. She struggled to get up and she saw Grim standing back a few yards, smirking.

"Is dat all you got?" He asked. "I thought a younger reaper like yourself would put up more of a fight!"

"You ain't seen jack, yet, old man!" Jane hissed as she flew up out of the rut her body had created and flew at him full speed.

She swung her scythe blade and it collided with his, making a loud sound and sending sparks flying everywhere. She managed to push him back a good way before he finally forced her back a little.

Grim swung at her, but she used the staff of the scythe to block the blade from making contact with her flesh. She barely had enough time to block the next swing he took or the next. She could feel herself being pushed back as he bared down on her.

Behind the house, Piff watched with Double D, who was panicy and figiting.

"She needs help..." Piff spoke sternly. "Here, guard this."

He passed the lantern to Double D, who almost screamed. He looked up at Piff to protest, but didn't have time, as he had already taken off.

Double D looked around for a safe place for the item. Then it hit him. He ran over to the tree in his back yard and wedged the item between the two trunks before running back to the house to see if he could see what Piff was doing. As he peeked around the side of the house, he was horrified to see tha older male running to Jane's aid.

"Hey!" Piff yelled from behind Grim, who had pushed Jane back a good ways. "Remember, me?! I'm the guy who spit in your ugly face!"

Grim paused momentarily to look at Piff, his sinister eyes glowing an evil red as he locked onto the purple haired goth boy. With one swift motion of his hand, he sent Jane flying down the street.

"I recall you, insolent boy." Grim hissed, the tendrils around his malignant form snaking about violently with anger. "You have disrespected me for de last time."

Piff braced himself as Grim approached him. Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted up by the back of his shirt and being brought up to eye level.

Grim smirked and spit a flaming ball of sparks into Piff's face, the embers melting through the lenses of his shades. Piff reached up and removed the now useless glasses.

"Not so funny, is it?" Grim chuckled darkly, looking into Piff's terrified green eyes. "Dos eyes wont see de living or de dead for very long."

Piff snarled at him and bared his teeth, defiance in his eyes. Grim reached up with his boney fingers and traced around the green orbs, his sharp finger tips making a stinging circle around them.

"It is a shame." Grim continued. "Green eyes are rare around here."

Piff shut his eyes tightly as he felt Grim's sharp finger tips beginning to dig into the creases of his eyes.

"Put him down!" Jane called, running down the road, tucking her wings in, and tackling the older reaper across the cul-de-sac and into a home at the end of it.

Splintered wood and shingles flew all over the place as the house gave in to the massive force that had slammed into it. Shattered glass littered the area and nails rolled out over the concrete.

"They'll never beat him like this!" Nazz bit her nails, looking at the others who were hiding with her on the other side of the lot.

"There's gotta be something we can do!" Jimmy paniced.

"But what?" Kevin looked around, his mind racing. "Hold on... I got it..."

Jane picked herself up from the debris and looked around for Piff. She found him half concious up against a wall that still stood a yard or two away from her.

"Piff!" She ran towards him, but a large black mass cut her off and slapped her away.

Grim spun and looked at the boy, walking towards him, his scythe drawn back.

"Time to die, boy." He growled.

Piff opened his eyes to see the reaper standing over him, the blade that would end him held high above his head. His green eyes widened, the pupils shrinking, as he awaited the end. Though, it never came.

"HEY!" A shrill female voice screeched. "STAY AWAY FROM MY MAN!"

Grim spun around to see Sarah standing there, her fists balled and her face snarling up at him.

Jane was just picking herself up when she saw the girl confronting Grim.

"Sarah, don't! Get away from him!" Jane warned.

Sarah ignored Jane and continued to stare Grim down. The old reaper smirked at the little spirit before him and turned to address her face to face.

"Littl girl, why do you oppose me?" He asked, amused.

"BECAUSE, YOU'RE A LOW DOWN DIRTY RAT WHO TRAPPED US HERE SO YOU COULD FEED OFF OF US!" Sarah yelled.

Grim chuckled, adjusting his cloak.

"You don't like serving dear old Grim?" He asked. "It is an honor, you know?"

"IT'S A PAIN IN THE BUTT!" Sarah retorted.

Grim straightened up, his face unamused by her comments.

"Very well." Grim positioned his scythe. "I can make do with one less spirit."

Jane leapt towards her as Grim drew his blade back, ready to strike her down for good. Suddenly, Sarah dispersed into a ball of light pink energey and flew up at him and into his face, blinding him momentarily.

Grim stumbled backwards as the pink energey swirled about inside of his skull, her shrill voice echoeing in his head.

Jane took the opportunity to retrieve Piff from the debris. She put his arm over her shoulder and wing and dragged him to safety and out of Grim's line of attack.

"What was that?!" Piff asked. "I've never seen ghosts do that!"

"It's gotta be because of the creek." Jane spoke, looking back at Grim, who was still struggling with her. "They're manifesting in other forms."

"That's insane!" Piff coughed, some blood hitting his lip.

"Stay put." Jane warned.

She stood and looked back at the reaper.

"Jane, I gotta say..." Piff smiled up at her from his leaning spot at the back of Double D's house. "You look pretty wicked from this angle."

Jane smiled down at him and rolled her eyes before taking off towards Grim.

She spun her scythe around and took a well aimed blow at his spine, momentarily crippling the old reaper.

He screamed and fell to his knees, Sarah evacuating the area as her energy ran out.

"ENOUGH!" He bellowed. He snapped his back into place once more with a grotesque series of cracks and pops before standing up, looming over the others. "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF DES GAMES! IT IS TIME TO END DIS FOR GOOD!"

"Is that right, old timer?!" Kevin yelled from the side of the cul-de-sac.

Jane turned to see him standing there, all the others behind him, all looking rather angry and determined.

"KINDERGARDERN IS DISSMISSED, CHILDREN." Grim's voice echoed as the red electric energy increased around him, making crackles and pops in the air. He balled his fists and the black handle on his scythe began to crack, revealing a snaking red energy all over it. It crept up to the blade, making odd designs in the metal as his energy charged.

"NOW!" Kevin yelled.

Suddenly, the spirits in the cul-de-sac began to glow, a thick and powerful energy releasing from their forms. It crept like colorful fog over to Jane and swirled about her scythe, wrapping about the handle all the way up to the blade where it left a glowing, oil-like sheen. She could feel static at her fingertips as the energy transfered to her from the spirits.

With barely anytime to spare, she lifted the glowing blade and blocked Grim's attack as he bared down on her once more.

"C'MON!" Eddy yelled as the spirits stepped forward, their energies becoming stronger.

Grim could feel the strength of Jane's defense increasing. He barred down harder, determined to slice the young reaper in two, but it had little affect.

Jane stopped shaking and she gripped the handle of her scythe harder. With one hard push, she threw Grim off of her and swung the blade around, ready to attack.

She lunged at him, the scythe blade alight like a colorful fire, and swung, cutting a bright white hole in his stomach.

He looked down, stunned, and then back at her as she drew the blad back once more. With another swipe, she sliced another hole in his shoulder, then his thigh.

The holes grew larger, swallowing him slowly. He screamed, the red energy fading back as the white light consumed him. With one final bright flash, he vanished without a trace.

The area grew silent, the clouds fading slowly over head. The energy retracted and Jane felt drained suddenly. She collapsed to the ground, the blade making a racket as it hit the concrete.

"Are you okay, dude?!" Nazz called as she, and the others, ran to her side.

Jane opened her eyes slightly, the skull design fading from her face and smiled gently.

"I think... I'll live." She chuckled.

"... OH! I get it!" Eddy laughed loudly. The other caught on and began to giggle as they helped her up to a sitting position. She looked over her shoulder to see Piff limping towards her, smiling.

"You suck at jokes, too." He laughed, sitting next to her.

"Thanks, that's just what I needed right now." Jane laid back with a laugh.

Everyone sat around, taking a moment to calm down and relish their victory with one another, being thankful it was finally over.

* * *

The next chapter is our finale.


	8. Chapter 8: Second Chance

Here we find the end.

* * *

"Alright, here's the deal..." Jane smiled at them, holding up the lantern. "You go in here, I take you over to a place called Disturbia, and you stay there until it's your time to go to Heaven."

"How are we all gonna fit in there?" Eddy asked. "There's, like, no room."

"In your orb states you will all fit." Jane smiled. "And kinda look like a rainbow while doing so."

"Groovy!" Nazz smiled while off to her side, Kevin rolled his eyes with a humorous smirk.

"What's Disturbia like?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, it's a big place, and theres a big city there, full of other spirits like you guys." Jane thought. "And it's always night time, and there's a big full moon all the time. It's really pretty."

"Always night?" Jimmy frowned.

"Yes." Jane nodded. "But I assure you, it is wonderous."

"But... I like the sun." Jimmy frowned.

"It'll be okay, Jimmy." Sarah comforted. "It's a new adventure!"

"Yea." Jimmy nodded. "As long as we're together, I'm happy."

"Good." Jane smiled. To her left, Piff held up the lantern and she took it, opening it. "Step inside."

One by one, the spirits shifted into the misty energy they had been earlier and fit themselves into the lantern, creating a rainbow-like cloud inside once Jane shut the door.

She looked the lantern over and then at Piff, who smiled at her with busted lips and a bruised cheek.

"I guess this is goodbye, huh?" He asked.

"I guess so." Jane sighed. "Listen, man, thanks for everything. You were a real help."

"Thanks for letting me tag along." Piff nodded. "I learned a lot about myself in these last couple of days. I owe you."

"No, it's all good." Jane smiled.

Piff leaned down and hugged her before letting her go.

"Well, I hope everyone enjoys their new lives in Disturbia." He smiled.

"I do, too." Jane looked at the lantern.

"Keep in touch, okay?" He asked.

"I will." Jane nodded.

With that, she began walking down the road leading out of the cul-de-sac. She tore open another portal and was about to step through, when she stopped. She looked at the lantern and thought for a few moments. She stepped back, away from the portal and let it close, confusion Piff. Then, she reached over to the lantern and opened the door, letting the colorful cloud spill out.

Piff watched in utter amazment as the cloud disperced into singular entities once more. Each one formed up into an odly unfamiliar shape, all being taller than before. As the cloudy shapes took form, Piff was amazed to see the spirits had taken on the physical forms of young adults his age and a little younger.

The spirits all seemed baffled, yet pleasantly surprised by the new looks they had. Double D looked up at Jane, his face bright but curious.

"You never got to live the best parts of your lives." Jane spoke carefully, obtaining their attention. "You were robbed of that and then spent years in a purgatory of sorts. I know I am supposed to take you guys away, but... I think my overseer will let this one slide. You guys deserve to live and experience life. So, go on and live it."

The group looked at each other before bursting into celebration and throwing themselves into a group hug.

Jane watched with a warm heart as Piff walked over to her and stood at her side.

"Awesome choice." He nodded.

"Yea, I think so." Jane chuckled. "You know it'll be your job to look out for them, now, right?"

"I kinda figured that." Piff laughed. "I'll make sure they have friends inside and outside of school, don't worry."

"Good." Jane smiled. "And because I consider you and the others friends, now, and because Grim is still around, I will be checking in periodically."

"That sounds good to me." Piff smiled down at her.

"Indeed." Jane nodded. "Now, let's get you home and these guys somewhere to stay."

* * *

Over the next couple of months, with Piff's help, a volunteer group helped rebuild the destroyed neighborhood and remodel what was left. All of the houses were brought up to code and refurnished with modern styles. A charity donated furniture and clothes to the Peach Creek kids and helped them get into the work force to help pay for school and living expenses.

Piff and Jane would pop in regularly to check on the kids and see how they were warming up to life in the Land of the Living. Upon one visit, they discovered that three girls had come up from a neighboring living area and were overjoyed to see the kids from the cul-de-sac, stating that they remembered playing with them as children, but loosing their ability to see spirits as they had gotten older, as is the norm for most children. They were regulars once more around the cul-de-sac and often helped with various things the others needed such as laundry, cooking, installing televisions or even moving furniture. The little neighborhood had become a shinning example of what it is to help others in need. The experiences they all shared together would stay with them for a lifetime. And that was alright with them.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed my last story. I apologize for any misspellings, my spell check appears to be malfunctioning slightly.

You can review this if you wish, but I posted it for fun mainly and wont pressure you.

Thanks for your time, guys! Goodbye!


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